APL Rhetorical Terms

Question 1

abstract

Answer 1

refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images (ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places). The observable or “physical” is usually described in concrete language.

Question 2

allegory

Answer 2

an extended narrative in prose or verse in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract qualities and which the writer has seconds meaning beneath surface of story

Question 3

anecdote

Answer 3

short, simple narrative of an incident; usually used for humorous effect or to make a point

Question 4

annotation

Answer 4

explanatory notes added to text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographical data

Question 5

antithesis

Answer 5

presentation of 2 contrasting images

Question 6

aphorism

Answer 6

short, often witty statement of a principle/truth about life. “Early bird gets the worm”

Question 7

apostrophe

Answer 7

usually in poetry but sometimes in prose; device calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or absent place, thing, or personified abstraction

Question 8

argumentation

Answer 8

writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or an idea by presenting reasoned arguments. ex: persuasive writing

Question 9

cacophony; dissonance

Answer 9

harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose; opposite of euphony

Question 10

caricarture

Answer 10

descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a person’s appearance or a facet of personality

Question 11

colloqualism

Answer 11

word/phrase used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing

Question 12

coherence; unity

Answer 12

quality of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to the development of the central idea, theme, or organizing principle

Question 13

concrete language

Answer 13

language that describes specific observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities

Question 14

connotation

Answer 14

implied or suggested meaning of a word because its association in the reader’s mind

Question 15

consonance

Answer 15

repetition of identical consonant sounds within 2 or more words

Question 16

conundrum

Answer 16

riddle whose answer is or involves a pun, it may also be a paradox or difficult problem

Question 17

deduction

Answer 17

process of moving from a general rule to a specific example

Question 18

denotation

Answer 18

literal meaning of a word as defined

Question 19

Description

Answer 19

The picturing in words of something or someone through detail using the senses

Question 20

Diction

Answer 20

Word choice, Creates tone, attitude, and style as well as meaning.

Question 21

Didactic

Answer 21

Writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach. A didactic work is usually formal and focuses on moral or ethnic concerns. It may be fiction or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking

Question 22

Discourse

Answer 22

Spoken or written language. 4 traditionally classified modes of discourse are Description, exposition, narration, and persuasion

Question 23

Emotional appeal-pathos

Answer 23

When a writer appeals to readers’ emotions to excite and involve them in an argument

Question 24

Epigraph

Answer 24

Use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme. Hemingway begins The Sun Also Rises w/ 2 epigraphs. One of them is “You are all a lost generation” by Gertrude Stein

Question 25

Ethnic appeal-ethos

Answer 25

Use of persuasion to get the audience to respect and believe him/her based on a presentation of image of self through text. Aim is to gain the audience’s confidence.

Question 26

Euphemism

Answer 26

A more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropraite or uncomfortable. “He went to his final reward” is a commom one for “he died”. They are also often used to obscure the reality of a situation.

Question 27

Euphony

Answer 27

A succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose. Opposite of cacophony

Question 28

Example

Answer 28

Individual instance taken to be reprsentative of a general pattern. Arguing by example is considered reliable if ex. are demonstratable true or factual as well as relevant.

Question 29

Explication

Answer 29

The art of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. It usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language

Question 30

Exposition

Answer 30

Immediate revelation to the audience of the setting and other background info necessary for understanding the plot. Also explanation. 1 of the 4 modes of discourse

Question 31

Generalization

Answer 31

When a writer bases a claim upon an isolated ex or asserts that a claim is certain rather than probable. Sweeping generalizations occur when a writer asserts that a clain applies to all instances instead of some.

Question 32

Genre

Answer 32

Literary work, such as a novel or poem. There are also subgenres, such as science fiction or sonnet, within the larger parts

Question 33

Humor

Answer 33

Anything that causes laughter or amusement, up until the end of the Renaissance, humor meant a person’s temperament

Question 34

Hyperbole

Answer 34

Deliberate exaggeration in order to create humor or emphasis Example:He was so hungry he could have eaten a horse

Question 35

Image

Answer 35

A word or words used to describe a sensory experience or an object perceived by the sense. It is always a concrete representation

Question 36

Imagery

Answer 36

Words or phrases that use a collection of images to appeal to one or more of the 5 senses in order to create a mental picture

Question 37

Induction

Answer 37

The process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization

Question 38

Inference

Answer 38

A conclusion one can draw from the presented details

Question 39

Invective

Answer 39

Verbally abusive attack

Question 40

Inversion

Answer 40

Reversing the customary (subject then verb then complement) order of elements in a sentence or phrase. It is used effectively in many cases such as posing a question: “ are you going to the store.” usually the element that appears first is emphasized more than the subject.

Question 41

Jargon

Answer 41

Special language of a profession or group. It usually has pejorative associations with the implication that jargon is evasive, tedious, and unintelligible to outsiders.

Question 42

Logical appeal, logos

Answer 42

When a writer tries to persuade the audience based on statistics and facts. Process of reasoning

Question 43

Lyrical

Answer 43

Songlike. Characterized by emotions, subjectivity, and imagination

Question 44

Mode

Answer 44

The method or form of a literary work; the manner in which a work of literature is written

Question 45

mood

Answer 45

similar to tone; mood is primary emotional attitude of a work. the feeling of the work.

Question 46

narration

Answer 46

telling of a story in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama; one of the 4 modes of discourse

Question 47

objectivity

Answer 47

an impersonal presentation of events and characters. It is a writer’s attempt to remove himself/herself from an subjective personal involvement in a story. Hard news journalism is frequesntly prized for its objectivity although even fictional storues can be told withouit a writer rendering personal judgement.

Question 48

paradox

Answer 48

a statement that seems to contradict itself but that turns out to have a rational meaning, as in this quotation from Henry David Thoreau; “i never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.”

Question 49

Parallelism

Answer 49

technique of arranging words, phrases, clauses, or larger structures by placing them side by side and making them similar in form. Parallel structure may be as simple as listing 2 or 3 modifiers in a row to describe the same noun or verb; it may take the form of 2 or more of the same type of phrases.

Question 50

parody

Answer 50

a work that ridicules the style of anopther work by imitating and exaggerating its elements. It can be utterly mocking or gently humorous. It depends on allusion and exaggerates and distorts the orgininal style and content.

Question 51

Pathetic Appeal; Pathos

Answer 51

When a writer tries to persuade the audience by appealing to the emotions. The aspects of a literary work that elicit sorrow or pity from the audience. Over-emotionalism can be the result of an excess pathos.

Question 52

pedantic

Answer 52

term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing

Question 53

persuasion

Answer 53

a form of argumentation, 1 of 4 modes of discourse, language intended to convince through appeals to reason or emotion

Question 54

regionalism

Answer 54

element in literature that conveys a realistic portrayal of a specific geographical locale, using the locale and its influences as a major part of the plot

Question 55

repetition

Answer 55

word or phrase used 2 or more times in close proximity

Question 56

rhetorical modes

Answer 56

exposition, description, narration, argumentation

Question 57

rhetorical question

Answer 57

question that doesn’t expect an explicit answer. It’s used to pose an idea to be considered by the speaker or audience

Question 58

sarcasm

Answer 58

harsh, caustic personal remarks to or about someone

Question 59

satire

Answer 59

a work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior by portraying it in an extreme way. It doesn’t simply abuse or get personal. It targets groups or large concepts rather than individuals

Question 60

speaker

Answer 60

the voice of a work

Question 61

stereotype

Answer 61

a character who represents a trait that is usually attributed to a particular social or racial group and who lacks individuality; a conventional pattern, expression, or idea

Question 62

style

Answer 62

an author’s characteristic manner of expression- his/her diction, syntax, imagery, structure, and content all contribute to style

Question 63

subjectivity

Answer 63

a personal presentation of events and characters, influenced by the author’s feelings and opinions

Question 64

syllogism

Answer 64

a form of reasoning in which 2 statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them. It is the format of a formal argument that consists of a major formal argument that consists of a major premise, minor premise, and conlcusion.

Question 65

synecdoche

Answer 65

a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent a whole, such as using “boards” to mean a stage or “wheels” to mean a car

Question 66

syntactic fluency

Answer 66

ability to create a variety of sentence structures, approximately complex and/or varied in length

Question 67

Syntatic permutation

Answer 67

Sentence structures that extraordinarily complex and involved. They are often difficult for the novice render to follow.

Question 68

Syntax

Answer 68

The grammatical structure of a sentence; the arrangement of words in a sentence. Includes the length of a sentence, kinds of sentences (questions, exclamations, declarative, rhetorical questions, simple, complex, compound)

Question 69

Theme

Answer 69

Central idea or message of the literary work

Question 70

Thesis

Answer 70

Main idea of a piece of writing. It presents the author’s claim

Question 71

Tone

Answer 71

Characteristic emotion or attitude of an author toward the characters, subject, and audience

Question 72

Transition

Answer 72

A word or phrase that links one idea to the next and carries the reader from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph.

Question 73

Understatement

Answer 73

Opposite of exaggeration. It’s a technique for developing irony and/or humor where one writes or says less than intended

Question 74

Voice

Answer 74

Refers to 2 different areas of writing. One refers to the relationship between a sentence’s subject and verb (active and conflict). The 2nd refers to the total “sound” of a writer’s style